Who doesn’t love a good macaroni and cheese dish? This recipe is a terrific combination of noodles, cheese and comfort. I’ve got one word for you: yummy! And ya’ll know I don’t throw that word around a lot here. I’m pretty sure that’s the first “ya’ll”, too, even though I say that word every day

Cook the macaroni, to al dente, in a large pot. Do not overcook, as you will be baking it also.

Meanwhile, melt butter in another large pot. Whisk the flour into the butter and stir while cooking for about 5 minutes. Try to keep it free of lumps.

Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. To temper the egg, in a small bowl, beat the egg. Beat in a tablespoon or two of the warm milk mixture. Slowly add the egg mixture into the pot of sauce. Tempering the egg is a good idea, because otherwise, your warm sauce could turn the egg into scrambled eggs.

Stir in ¾ of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the macaroni into the mixture and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat.

Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes before serving

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This recipe comes to us from one of the kings of cooking, Alton Brown. I saw the recipe in the October issue of Food Network Magazine. It was titled “The Most Popular Food Network Recipe of All Time”. Ah, it’s the simple pleasures we love, isn’t it?

I loved the smooth, cheesy texture of this baked macaroni and cheese. Creamy and cheesy. Yummy! There, twice in one post, haha. This dish also has a little crunch on top, Panko breadcrumbs. I have just started using these and I love them. They keep a great crispy crunch after baking.

With Alton Brown, I knew I should keep the recipe fairly close to the classic original, Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese. After all, he gets pretty scientific with his ingredients, it had to be near perfect as is. My only change? I left out the dry mustard. If you want to add it back in, just add in 1 tablespoon of powdered mustard at the beginning when you stir the flour into the butter.

Isn’t it the right time of year for a satisfying comfort dish like this? Hope you give it a try. Thanks so much for reading. I appreciate every one of you:) Di

I am sure my kids would hate this. They only like velveeta on their mac. I on the other hand would love it!! But I agree, maybe with a touch less mustard. I might do a half.heather f recently posted…Making homemade Vanilla….or having a Rager.

Can you believe, growing up, I don’t think I ever ate macaroni and cheese? As a result, I think I’ve only made it for Grace 1 time. Am I depriving her? Should I be making this Amy of while wearing heels recently posted…This is Me and What I Wear